UF And Fire College Linking Firefighters Statewide On The Web

April 15, 1997

GAINESVILLE — Computers will join hoses, axes and ladders in Florida’s fire stations, linking fire districts via the Internet under a program being developed by the University of Florida and the Florida State Fire College in Ocala.

“Florida is the first state that we know of to use an Internet site for this purpose for members of the fire service,” said Ronald Nutter, director of professional education at the UF College of Architecture. “Other states have computer networks for data reporting, management reports and record keeping, but we don’t know of any established network that both manages records and provides educational materials to firefighters.”

The UF/Florida State Fire College site on the World Wide Web will include training programs, disaster information and credit courses designed to help firefighters receive an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Fire districts across the state will have equal access to the programs.

“This time next year, career and volunteer firemen anywhere in the state will be able to go to where the computer is kept, and that firefighter can sit down and do one of three things,” Nutter said. “They can access the latest disaster information from the fire college and get information on breaking events which have a direct effect on their area, or access a training program, or they can enroll in or take credit courses designed to move them toward an associate of arts or bachelor’s degree.

“One thing that excites me is that this will allow the smallest volunteer fire department to have access to the same body of knowledge and information as the largest career fire department,” Nutter said. “This will raise the information playing field.”

The Internet program was based on a statewide survey conducted by the College of Architecture and sponsored by the state Insurance Commission and state Fire Marshall Bill Nelson. The fire departments surveyed identified several needs, including access to the Florida State Fire College programs and educational programs.

The web site, is http://www.fsfc.ufl.edu, and UF and the fire college are developing links and educational programs for it. A request for $824,000 to fund the program currently is before the state Legislature.

“I am excited that the university can share intellectual resources through technology to bring information and education to a group faced with the health, safety and welfare issues of the citizens of the state,” Nutter said. “Not only do they fight fires, they are the first on the scene in any emergency. We can deliver cutting edge and emergency information to them via a medium that makes it accessible to them. By improving their knowledge and information base, we are providing a service to all the citizens of the state of Florida.”